I had a bit of a realization this week. Every goal you want to accomplish requires conscious effort. Now I know that sounds like an obvious statement, but I want to take today’s post to explain more about this in the hopes that maybe you can have that realization too.

I am a very goal-oriented person. I always set goals for myself that I want to achieve, and I put in that effort to reach some of my goals. For example, I have read over 20 books this year already. My entire goal for the year is 30. I love reading, and I am going to reach that goal. However, I have other goals that did not receive as much conscious effort. It then makes sense that I am not as close to reaching those goals.

As we head into the later parts of the year, I’m starting to look ahead and think about what I want to do and accomplish for next year. Because of this idea of conscious effort, I’m putting in new steps and questions into my goal process. I’m about to start the new school year. I will have a batch of new students. I want them to set a goal for themselves that they can use. In my process for students to have the choice and ability to make their goals, I’m thinking about adding a question for students. It will be something along the lines of “How can you put effort in so that you can reach the goal?” I plan to use this goal all year with my students to help them become better. Hopefully in the process it makes me better too.

There is still time for this year too. I am not done. I have not failed. There are things I still want to do and changes I still want to make. I have goals I still want to reach, and I think I still can reach them. I have time. We’re about to start August. That is still five months until the year ends.

Like I said earlier, every single goal requires conscious effort. I don’t fully know why, but I think that has been an issue I have faced for a long time. While I am willing to put in conscious effort into some of my goals, there are other goals that I just expect to happen naturally. It then makes sense that those goals either take longer or don’t happen. I don’t really have a reason why I only put effort into certain goals. I guess I just have different expectations for myself based on certain goals I set.

As I’m thinking through this whole thing still and trying to understand this new part of myself, I am wanting to reevaluate my past goals. How many did I stop putting conscious effort into? How many did I just think would happen on their own or that I wouldn’t reach them so there was no point to try? I want to start setting my goals for myself for next year, but now I have a new way to approach them. I can ask myself what putting in conscious effort into each goal looks like. Hopefully, answering that question can lead to a functional plan.

I talked awhile ago on here about my “Real-Life Skill Tree” (read it here if you haven’t). That gives me the steps to check in with my progress on my goals. However, the idea of Conscious Effort is basically the training to reach those steps. I didn’t become a black belt by doing nothing. I did not improve my teaching ability by trying the same technique, regardless of effectiveness. I put effort into many of the things that I do, and that effort helps to create results.

I feel like I sound like a broken record a lot of the time. I want to be better. I want to do better. I am always looking for ways to improve. There’s more to do and learn. I feel like this was a breakthrough for me, but maybe this is something you’ve recognized before I even wrote it down. I have to put in conscious effort to improve in anything and everything I want to do. If I am not putting in the effort, then nothing is going to change.

Put in the effort. Be conscious about what you’re doing. Stick with it. Your effort helps you reach your goals. And honestly, this is more advice for myself. But I’ll feel happy if anyone benefits from this, even if that someone is me!